


Mechanism

by Hollyflash



Series: Phic Phight! [2]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Clockwork!Clockwork, Gen, Non-Linear Narrative, Phic Phight 19, World Building Week, aka written for Phic Phight edited for World Building Week, short scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 11:51:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19905268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hollyflash/pseuds/Hollyflash
Summary: “Danny finds out that the Master of Time is actually an automaton created by the Observants. Clockwork still is his own person, but without using the key the Observants have to wind him up, he would stop working and 'die', if only temporarily. He doesn't want to work for them but has to. Danny doesn't like any of this.” Phic Phight Prompt by Habato.Or: Danny commits treason in the name of helping a friend.





	Mechanism

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Habato](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Habato/gifts).



> This has no bearing on the story at all, but I want everyone to know that the title of the google doc this was in was called 'If you can't write your own AU storebought is fine'. Mostly because Habato is my friend and I shoved this full of tropes they love.

So. Danny had made a lot of mistakes in his life, but for the most part they’d worked out pretty well! Accidentally tripping Dash in elementary school had gotten him a determined bully, but also a best friend in Sam. Turning on the portal had gotten him electrocuted, but also given him superpowers.

Breaking into the Observatory was highly illegal and would probably get him killed, but if it worked, then Clockwork would be free.

.-.

Clockwork hadn’t told him about, well, anything to do with his body. Danny didn’t blame him, not really - Clockwork wanted to protect him. The Observants were power-hungry eyeball dicks, and they’d already made it clear that they were fine with killing him. Despite that, Danny would have preferred to find out any way other than he did. 

It was the evening of a massive mission to figure out what exactly Vlad’s latest plan was. ‘World Domination’ was a weird and unsatisfying answer, so while Danny and Jazz got their parents to trap him in a family dinner, Sam and Tucker snuck in to copy all of his files and see what the state of his lab was like. The plan had gone successfully - Vlad had been too busy being a creep to realize there was an ulterior motive - and the trio met in Sam’s batcave (also known as her audio/visual room) to check out the files. There, while trying to deal with a malfunctioning remote, they found a security clip from several months ago, back when Vlad still lived in Wisconsin.

The Fright Knight carried a limp and unconscious Clockwork into Vlad’s old lab and dumped him unceremoniously on the floor. Vlad took a moment to float and gloat as he waved a large, green key. On the second watch through, Danny recognized it as the same key that he’d used to lock Pariah up.

After far too long of just letting Clockwork lay there, Vlad finally placed the Crown of Fire in a ghost-proof cabinet and stopped his monologue. He turned to Clockwork, and pointed the key at him. After a moment, Fright Knight came over and the two bent over Clockwork.

Suddenly, Clockwork gasped, and the two pulled back. He sat up, a hand on his head, and stared at Vlad in confusion. Then he saw Fright Knight, and the confusion became fear.

“Hello,” Clockwork said.

Vlad didn’t return the ‘hello,’ because he was a jerk. “Arise, automaton,” he said instead, because again, he was a jerk. “I am your new master.”

Clockwork looked unimpressed. “I have a name.”

“That doesn’t matter anymore,” Fright Knight said, “it hasn’t mattered since you turned your back on our king. Stand and face your new master, unless you’d like to spend a few more centuries forgotten in a closet.”

Clockwork gave him a long look before he floated off the ground. He frowned at Vlad, his arms crossed.

“I’ve been told you were created by the Observant Council to monitor time.” Vlad circled Clockwork like a stupid, creepy shark. “Explain that.”

Clockwork didn’t say anything. Vlad whirled around and grabbed Clockwork by his chin, and squeezed his cheeks as he pulled Clockwork closer.

“Don’t forget,” he held up the key, “I hold the power of your core in my hand.” He released Clockwork and went back to circling him. “We can do so much for each other, as long as you do what I say. So make this easier for all of us, Automaton, and just tell me how you work.”

“Clockwork,” Clockwork said. “My name isn’t ‘Automaton.’ It’s Clockwork.”

Vlad scowled for a moment before he lunged forwards and shoved the key into Clockwork’s case. For a second, Clockwork looked shocked, and Vlad whispered something in his ear. Clockwork collapsed, and he didn’t move again.

Vlad snapped his fingers, and Fright Knight came over to help drag Clockwork out of the camera’s view.

After the clip had ended, there had been a moment of silence among the trio. Then Danny had screamed and Sam and Tucker had to convince him that overshadowing the TV would not be a remotely functional way to save Clockwork.

.-.

When Vlad had released Vortex on Amity Park and Danny had to clean up _that_ mess, he’d returned Vortex to the Observants. Not because he wanted to, but because as Tucker had said, if they wanted to help Clockwork they needed to know the enemy territory. Sam and Tucker had covered his suit with a hundred tiny cameras and sent him in. The Observants had welcomed his ‘show of faith in their council’ and been thankful that Danny returned Vortex without them having to lift a finger. He’d taken his time getting to the room the jailer Observant was in, and at the time had been sure he’d gotten a decent map of the place.

Now, he realized he was an idiot.

He was also lost.

The Observatory was one big pretentious maze, and nowhere near as cool as placed named ‘the Observatory’ should be. He hadn’t been caught _yet,_ but he’d also had to turn human and dive through five walls already to avoid Observants in the halls. Even if his map was right originally, he was so far off from it that he might as well burn it for warmth instead. Plus, someone had the bright idea to draw a bunch of eyes on the walls, and that just made Danny paranoid. Every step he took made him hate his stupid plan more.

But for Clockwork’s sake, he kept going.

.-.

It took just under an hour to find the next time in the security footage that Vlad and Fright Knight dragged out Clockwork. Again, they dumped him on the ground, but this time the second Clockwork started to stir Vlad passed the key off to Fright Knight and dropped a metal disk beside him. A domed shield sprung up around Clockwork before he’d even sat up.

“Did you have a nice nap?” Vlad asked, “Perhaps you’ll be willing to be a bit more reasonable now that you’ve rested.”

Clockwork said nothing. He stared at the floor.

“Hm, have you used up all your quips?” Vlad asked, and slowly took a few steps closer to the dome. “How incredibly unfortunate. I was almost hoping you’d make this interesting, but this works just as well.” He glanced at Fright Knight, and on the other side of the screen, Tucker had to hold Danny back from flying into the TV to punch Vlad’s stupid, evil smile right off his face.

“What do you want me to do?” Clockwork sounded so defeated, and Tucker didn’t manage to hold Danny back this time.

They were right; overshadowing the TV did not help.

.-.

An Observant came around the corner.

Danny froze.

The Observant froze.

Danny caught sight of a bright green key in their hand.

“Guards!” The Observant screamed, and Danny coiled his ghostly tail like a spring. The second the Observant looked back at him, he launched himself forwards and switched back to his human form. His hands curled around the key as he passed through the Observant, bending them back, and ripping the key from their shocked fingers with the weight of his entire body. He tucked, rolled, and tried to dive through a wall. The key wouldn’t follow. It wasn’t a real world item.

_Uh-oh._

Danny poked his head back into the hallway to see seven furious Observants floating there, glaring at him, and reaching for the key in his hand. 

Danny pointed a finger gun at the nearest one. “Sup?”

“Step out of the wall,” they demanded, and Danny did. “Drop the key.”

Danny switched right back to his ghost form and took a deep breath in. If we was going to be caught anyway, he might as well go out in style. **“NO!”**

.-.

After they had, er, ‘fixed’ Danny’s attempt to overshadow the TV, Tucker found where they’d left off.

Vlad had smirked, leaning in towards Clockwork like the jerk he was. “Very good! And they say old technology is obsolete. Now, I’ve been told you have time powers?”

Danny expected a sarcastic comment, something along the lines of ‘my name is Clockwork. No, I have space powers.’ Failing that, a glare. All he got was Clockwork giving Fright Knight an anxious glance.

“That’s right,” Clockwork said.

“Can you travel through it?”

Clockwork was silent for a second. “I’ll... need to make a portal - a mirror. It’ll take some time. But yes.”

“Can you take people with you?”

Clockwork glanced at Fright Knight again. “...It’ll take a bit longer. But yes.”

“Good,” Vlad said. He sounded exactly like the smarmy dick they all knew he was. Sam whacked Danny with a pillow when he stood up, ready to fight the TV once again.

On the screen, Vlad continued. “Get started on that then. Don’t try and leave this lab.”

Clockwork’s lip twitched in the faintest trace of annoyance. “I can’t just do it,” he said. His voice was carefully neutral. “I need tools. And a work space.”

“Of course you do,” Vlad said, and stepped away from Clockwork. He turned towards Fright Knight, and Clockwork looked down.

They hadn’t skipped a section of the footage, they’d made sure of that. Besides, Vlad was still in the same pose. It was Fright Knight and Clockwork who had changed positions. Halfway across the lab now, they were both engaged in a vicious tug-of-war over the key. The footage of Vlad whipped around to face them as Fright Knight brought up his knee and smashed it into Clockwork’s case. Glass shattering pierced the poor quality audio, and on the other side of the screen, the trio’s excited whoops turned to terrified screams.

Clockwork was knocked back, into a bench at an angle that looked like it had nearly broken him in half, and he fell to the floor in a lump. But he had the key in his hand. 

Fright Knight bent down as Vlad ran over, spitting Russian curses as he reached their side. Fright Knight’s fingers grazed the key, and Clockwork pulled it under his broken form.

“Y-you,” Clockwork’s voice caught and dragged. Some syllables he struggled with. Others stretched out for far too long, or were distorted to the point they barely sounded like anything but clicking and grinding. Despite the trio’s best effort, they barely managed to translate any of what he said. “N-n-no. This - it’s -it’s mine. Minemineminemine -” Clockwork jerked with a gasp, and the words stopped.

Vlad switched to his ghost form and smacked Fright Knight. “You’ve broken it!”

“It just needs to be rewound,” he kicked a shard, “and that case replaced. If you’re as smart as you say, that should be easy.” He kicked Clockwork aside now, and reached for the key once more.

It was then that perhaps twenty Observants all appeared in Vlad’s lab.

On the footage, Vlad screamed. Danny would have enjoyed his fear, it it wasn’t for the fact that he’d just watched someone he considered a friend being seriously assaulted. None of the trio took any joy from Vlad’s fear as he backed up, hands raised. Fright Knight followed suit. He hadn’t managed to grab the key. That was still on the ground next to the beat, broken, unmoving form of the Master of Time. 

“Observant High Council,” Vlad said, trying to regain all the control over this mess that he’d lost the moment he screamed. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

One Observant grabbed the key. Another two carelessly lifted Clockwork off the floor by his arms. Clockwork’s limp head lulled forwards as they pulled him up.

“Excuse me,” Vlad started, “I believe that’s mine -”

“You are charged with damaging property belonging to the Observant High Council.” Five of them said at once, “What is your plea?”

“Wha- that’s yours?” Vlad tried to regain his composure. He turned to Fright Knight as a furious snarl began to climb up his features. “My apologies. I was unaware. Of course I would have returned it to you if I had been informed -”

“Be silent,” an Observant said, and miraculously, Vlad shut up. “Do not push the blame for your actions onto another. What is your plea?”

“Again, my apologies,” Vlad said. “I have done nothing wrong, I merely wished to understand this strange automaton. If I had known of your ties to it -”

“So you are guilty?” The one holding the key interrupted.

“I _have not -”_ Vlad didn’t get to finish his sentence. The Observants raised their hands, and everyone in the lab disappeared. All that was left was a long, green stain where Clockwork had laid, many shards of broken glass, and a few small gears. After a day of empty footage, an Observant appeared to collect them.

The next time Vlad was seen in his lab was nearly three weeks later. He came through his portal frazzled, furious, and alone.

.-.

The trio didn’t know a lot about Clockwork. Danny knew the most, and from that he knew he couldn’t just show up and say “hey, I know about you potentially being a robot or something? Just wanted to say I’m totally cool with it.” Not only would Clockwork freak out at him, but that wouldn’t solve anything. 

It was difficult to tell how that evolved into ‘let’s rob the ruling power of the Ghost Zone’ but there had been a few common themes. All this had taken place before Danny and Clockwork met, and Clockwork had been repaired by then. He’d had his own, albeit tiny, place. Danny had never seen Clockwork and the Observants together, but from the way Clockwork talked about them _he_ definitely didn’t like them. 

Everyone had been calling Clockwork ‘it,’ like they were just some _thing._ Vlad had said the Observants created them, and they’d called him ‘their property.’ They hadn’t handled him like they were worried about hurting him worse. Fright Knight had told Clockwork to listen to Vlad unless he wanted to be _forgotten_ in a closet for a few more _centuries._

It hadn’t been a decision, really. They’d pooled everything they’d learned together, and the trio knew without a doubt that none of them would be another person who treated Clockwork like garbage. They were going to help him, no matter what.

No matter what.

.-.

Danny dropped to his knees and his human form. Injured Observants had been blasted through the walls that had been caught in his wail, and an alarm blared in the distance. He glanced down at his hands; the key was still clasped tight enough in his left hand that his knuckles had turned white.

He’d gotten caught. They’d know he’d stolen the key. Danny would have a warrant out for his arrest long before he got to Clockwork’s - if he even got out. If they didn’t catch him first. But Danny had the key, and the second he got to the tower it would stay with Clockwork, right where it belonged.

Clockwork had saved his life, and now Danny was going to return the favour. He _was_ going to do this. He was going to get out, get to Clockwork’s, and save his friend. He _was going to_ **_do it._ **

Danny picked himself up off the floor, one hand on his ribs, and started to limp down one unshattered hall. The alarm blared above him, and he swore more than before that this time, the eyes on the walls really did follow him as he left.

**Author's Note:**

> Phic Phight was a lot of fun. World Building Week? Also fun.
> 
> Am I biased because they're both my events? Maybe so.


End file.
